


this kid has to live

by carefulren



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Captivity, Gen, Injury, Iron dad and Spider son, Sickfic, Tumblr Prompt, Whump, Whumpfic, a friend on tumblr was having a bad night, and i was told about that from an anon, hurt!Peter, so i whipped this up after having the anon get me a little more info
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 15:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14673873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carefulren/pseuds/carefulren
Summary: the one where Tony and Peter are captured, and Peter's hurt. bad.





	this kid has to live

It was a mistake, an error in calculation, an unpredictable chain of events with a worst possible outcome, a judgment call to ignore a sporadic plan following the events of a movie because it just seemed too risky at the time… 

He didn’t listen to the kid, but he should have– maybe then they wouldn’t be trapped in some cramped cell in a musty chamber with bars that are apparently indestructible, which Tony quickly learned after an hour or two of trying every possible method of destruction.  

Escaping just wasn’t an option, and he should have fucking listened– 

“Mr. Stark?” 

Tony stops in his tracks after pacing the small length of the cell for forty minutes, trapped in his rushing thoughts for a plan that will actually work. 

“What?” Tony shoots a gaze toward Peter, who’s been far too quiet considering the situation, and who’s been keeping a hand pressed to his side with a face pinched in pain. 

“It hasn’t healed yet?” 

It’s been a few hours, Tony thinks. The gash on Peter’s side should healed by now, or started to heal at least. 

“No,” Peter mutters through clenched teeth, and that’s enough to having Tony moving to him and dropping to a crouch. 

There had been quite the fight before the two were thrown into a cell, and Peter took a lot of hits. Tony wishes he could blame it on recklessness, but Peter wasn’t being reckless; the kid was being protective and jumping in front of blades that should have hit the metal of his Iron Man suit instead. 

“Let me see,” Tony says, and Peter’s slow to move his hand, hissing sharply as Tony prods lightly at the broken skin oozing blood. The skin split by the blade is a deep purple, looking almost like a bruise, but there are hints of light in it, almost as if it’s glowing slightly. 

Tony doesn’t know the species they were fighting; he doesn’t know what they are capable of, what their weapons are made of, and the glowing around the wound makes him nervous. But, he keeps his face calm as he moves Peter’s hand back to the gash. 

“Just keep applying pressure. I’m sure it will heal soon.” 

*****

It doesn’t heal; the wound doesn’t even try to heal– it just gets brighter and hotter, and Tony’s worried, more so when Peter starts coughing, stops eating the bread brought once a day, and has trouble keeping his eyes open for majority of the day. 

It’s been three days since they were captured, and Tony’s freaking out. 

“How are you doing, kid?” He asks, taken to asking that question once every hour, as if to ease his panic, even just a little. 

Every time Tony has asked, Peter’s put up a front, said he was fine, but his words are different this time, strained, and they have Tony’s blood turning to ice. 

“Not so great.” 

He’s on Peter in a flash, dropping to a crouch in front of the kid, who’s been curled in on himself against a wall for hours, shaking and coughing, but never once complaining. 

Tony brushes back damp curls to feel Peter’s forehead. He knows there’s a fever, that there’s been a fever for over a day now, but the heat feels like he’s got his hand pressed to a flame, and he pulls it away with a sharp frown. 

“Talk to me, kid. What’s going on? What doesn’t feel great?” 

“My head hurts,” Peter starts, voice shaking as hard as his limbs. “And my side, and… just everything, I feel really bad, Mr. Stark.” 

Tony’s been doing well at keeping his tone cool, his face neutral, but Peter’s words feel like icy daggers to his heart, and his eyes go wide in a muted panic that Peter catches onto quickly. 

“You look scared,” he starts, voice raising slightly in pitch. “I’m not going to die, am I? I really don’t want to die, Mr. Stark. I–” 

“Am not going to let anything happen to you,” Tony finishes, cupping one large hand to Peter’s too-warm cheek. “Just take a breath, Pete. Everything’s going to be okay.” 

They hold each other’s gaze for a long minute, but Peters finally breaks away with a cough that sounds far too painful, and by the looks of Peter’s hunched shoulders, it is. 

Tony gets to his feet and moves back to the bars, and he looks out at the bare, dusty hall, glaring at the wall across from the cell as if trying to find an answer in the dirty stones. 

*****

Another two days, and Tony can no longer remain calm. Peter’s unconscious, unable to take in water, and he’s a degree short of a seizure, or death; Tony’s not sure, and he can’t focus because his breath keeps catching in his throat. 

He’s taken to shouting until his voice goes raw, shaking the bars as if he can will them to break with what little strength he has left, then shouting some more, over and over, stemmed from anger, fear, frustration that bubbles over. 

“A life for a life,” he shouts into the empty hall. “You can have me– do whatever you like, just spare the damn kid!” 

He’s hoping to attract attention, or at least annoy someone into coming down so he can negotiate. He’s working on faith alone now, but he’s running out of that too. 

“Please,” he shouts. “This kid  _has_  to live!” 

A blast from above has Tony looking toward the ceiling with a frown and lightly coughing when dust flutters down to his face. It’s the first loud sound he’s heard since they’ve been down here, and he’s not sure whether that’s good or bad, but then he hears a familiar roar, one that he’s only heard from Hulk, and time finally comes back to full speed. If Hulk is here, then… 

“Steve! Thor! Nat!” He calls out names, and he keeps on until he hears footsteps racing toward his cell, growing louder and louder until Steve is skidding to a stop in front of him. 

“Tony, thank god.” Steve breathes out, eyes shifting behind Tony to Peter. “What happened?” 

“Get us out,” Tony orders, and Steve whips his vibranium shield down onto the bars, and they give way under the force after some pushing and grunting from Steve. 

“Tony, what’s wrong with him?” 

Tony ignores Steve in favor of scooping Peter up in his arms. His skin is far too hot, and his body is far too limp for Tony’s liking. A lump forms in his throat, but then Peter groans in his arms and blinks up at him with glassy eyes. 

“We’re being rescued?” He croaks out before shifting a shaking gaze toward Steve. “Oh, hey, Cap. When did you get here?” 

Steve offers Peter a tight smile before meeting Tony’s worried gaze. 

“We need to get him help,” Tony urges, and Steve only nods and steps out of the way to allow the two out of the cell. 

“Just keep behind me. I’ll get you both out of here.” 

*****

The longest days of Tony’s life are spent hunched over at Peter’s bedside, eyes glued to Peter’s pale face, not wanting to miss the moment the kid finally opens his eyes. 

It takes three days, but Peter finally does, and Tony breathes out a breath he wasn’t aware he’s been holding since Banner hooked Peter up to a shit ton of tubes and wires with a frown and a worrying prediction of, “I’m not sure if he will wake up anytime soon, Tony.” 

But, Peter’s stubborn, and he wakes after three days, and relief floods Tony’s mind, his blood, and he slumps over, resting his forehead against Peter’s hand on the bed. 

“Mr. Stark?” 

“Hey, kid.”

“Am I okay?” 

Tony sits up at this, and he offers Peter a genuine smile, one that’s not forced, not strained, just real. 

“Yeah, kid. You hit a rough patch, but you’re going to be fine.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I am fully aware that Tony could probably just get his Iron Man on and blast the two out of the cell. I didn't write this for canon accuracy-- I only wrote it because an incredibly sweet friend of mine was having a rough night and needed a little pick me up. 
> 
> Just adding that as a little note. I know that some people may read this and be like umm?? that's not accurately canon. Well, I am aware, lol. 
> 
> Feel free to come say hi on tumblr (@toosicktoocare)


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